Why Was Jesus

Born?

December, 2010

INDEX Scripture & Prayer, 2 Green Living, 5 Family & Friends Day Celebration, 6 Red Velvet Cake Recipe, 9 UPS Hiring, 9 Youth Zone, 10 & 11 Birthday Greetings, 12

Submitted By Gene Perkins

It became necessary for Jesus to be born when the original par-ents (Adam and Eve) disobeyed God’s command; they ate

the forbidden fruit from the “Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good and Evil”. When God created Adam

and Eve, He placed them in a perfect environment that supplied their every need!

God gave them the gift

See WHY WAS JESUS BORN, Page 3

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Father God, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the songs of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds and the worship of the wise men! Please Dear Lord, close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world! Let kindness come with every gift; let good de-sires with every greeting and deliver us from evil by the many blessing which Christ brings. Teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children! May Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful, thankful thoughts of this season and all other seasons.

May mankind everyway be filled with joy and peace. This includes the strong and the weak, the great and the small, the meek and the powerful, the subtle and the gross, the seen and unseen and those dwelling far off and near! Let us not deceive one another. Let no one, out of anger or resentment, wish suffer-ing (of any nature) to anyone! Protect our children from hurt and harm. Let a boundless love for all creation exist within everyone. Let Your love flow throughout the entire uni-verse and the fullness there of!

Amen, Amen and Amen.

~ Scriptures of the Month ~ Maintain Thankfulness

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6,7 NIV)

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“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thank-ful.” (Colossians 3:14, 15 KJV)

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“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16 KJV)

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“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28,29 NASB)

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Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the ob-ject of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

~~~~~~ Our Prayer ~~~~~~

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WHY WAS JESUS BORN? Continued from page 1

of “Freedom Of Choice”. They were provided the ability to decide whether they would obey God’s commands. They failed because they allowed Satan (in the form of the serpent) to deceive and entice them to eat the forbidden fruit.

Jesus was born because through Him, God could reveal His righteous character to all man-kind. Then, mankind could become like Him in mind and spirit! God created mankind (Adam and Eve) in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27) and commanded them to look to Him as the revealer of good and evil. A tragic event took place when Adam and Eve followed Satan the father of lies. This, their wrong choice, severed their close rela-tionship with their Creator! God cast them out of the Garden of Eden! This cut off their access to the “Tree Of Life,” which was symbolic of God’s Holy Spirit (Genesis 3:22-23). The Son of God ulti-mately fulfilled the divine revelation of God’s char-acter and purpose for mankind thousands of years later

Jesus was born to become The Perfect Sac-rifice for removing the sins of mankind! The ear-lier, physical sacrifices could not take away the penalty for sin (Hebrews 9:7; 10:3-10). Without the True Sacrifice, humanity was doomed! Everyone would die, with no hope beyond the grave!

Jesus was born for mankind to have A Media-tor between them and God The Father. He is The Mediator of the New Covenant! God replaced the sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood with the ulti-mate sacrifice of Jesus Himself (Hebrews 8:6-13)! Jesus is the High Priest of the New Covenant!

Jesus was born for God to make His Spirit available to all mankind. He had to pay the penalty for our sins, through His death, His Resurrection and Ascend to The Father, as our High Priest! Only then could all humanity receive and benefit from the incredible gift of God’s Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:32-33). God has made it possible for all mankind to come voluntarily into an intimate relationship with Him. Through Christ, God has restored that which was lost in the Garden of Eden: access to a right relationship with God and access to “The Tree Of Life”(2 Corinthians 6:16)!

God promised Adam and Eve A Redeemer even before He cast them from the Garden of Eden. After He confronted them, He spoke to Sa-tan, who appeared as a serpent. He told him “...I will put enmity (the spirit of an enemy) between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He (Jesus Christ) shall bruise your

head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15)

This is considered to be “The Great Proph-ecy”. The phrase “you will bruise his heel” refers to Satan’s repeated attempts to defeat Christ, during His life on earth. When Jesus was born in Bethle-hem, Satan attempted to “devour” Mary’s baby by influencing Herod, the king, to order the murder of all male children, age 2 and younger. This scheme failed! The phrase “He shall bruise your head” re-fers to Jesus’ defeat of Satan! Bruising the head is much more of a fatal blow than bruising the heel! Because of God’s promise (prophecy), we know Satan will lose the battle!

The salvation of mankind depended upon Je-sus’ coming to earth, living a perfect life, and dy-ing. This was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world, which included the disobedience of by every man and woman! Jesus had to be born because He is our Redeemer! “God, in His infi-nite mercy, foreordained His plan of redemption for sinful mankind through Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-21).

The Bible tells us, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Je-sus our Lord” (Romans 6:23); “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Therefore, all have earned the death penalty for sin. We speak of “human rights.” The only real right anyone has earned is the right to eternal death! But God has made allowances for sinners to be redeemed, or bought back, from the death penalty by a Redeemer! Adam brought sin into the world (Romans 5:12). Jesus Christ brought Redemption, Reconciliation and the Hope of Eter-nal Life (Romans 5:6-10).

Jesus Christ is our redeemer! Since the wages of sin is death, redemption required the sacrificial death of the Redeemer.

Satan was an instigator in Jesus’ crucifixion. Once again, Satan lost the battle with Christ! His scheme backfired, because the death of the Son of God provided mankind with a Redeemer! When Christ was resurrected, He arose with All Power In HIS Hands!!

Psalm 111: 7-9: 7 “The works of His hands are faithful and

just; all His precepts are trustworthy.” 8 “They are steadfast for ever and ever, done

in faithfulness and uprightness.” 9 “He provided redemption for His people; He

ordained His covenant forever- holy and awesome in His name!”

Praise the Lord!

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Dedicated to Dr. Irene Reed-Singletary by Janeice Richardson, English /Secondary Education Major, Morris College. SHE TEACHES IN THE HALL There you will find her changing “git” to “get” Pulling up pants and pulling down skirts Sharing a word of encouragement Scolding without words, just furrowed eyebrows.

She wears her emotion on her dainty sleve

Her heart on display that you may never question her motives

She smiles when you cry and cries when you smil A help to whomever whenever

She is a mother

In her womb have winged creatures been concived Some still being groomed, others conceiving She holds on while they realize their wings She lets go to prove that they can fly.

She puts all of herself in all that she does When no one else is looking

She is extravagantly humble She is ferociously kind She is loved beyond measures

She is Teacher, and she teaches in the hall.

Give THE WORD This Christmas! Put GOD”S WORD where it matters Most, deep into your heart and life!

Let it overflow into your most important relationships and life issues! Oh, there are so many application notes and features which will help us answer the ques-tion, “How Does The Bible Apply To Me Today?” Watch God’s Truth hit home! See why THE BIBLE is the world’s #1 book! Please check out the selections in our SGBC Christian Bookstore.

~ Jesus is the Gift ~

Jesus is the gift that perfectly fits every heart and it is with His love that all celebration starts. We rejoice in Him as we remember His birth and thank God for sending His only Son to earth.

His life led from a manger to a cross on a hill where He faithfully followed His Father's perfect will. He freely laid down everything so that we could live and there is no greater treasure anyone could give.

Like a scarlet ribbon His love wrapped around the cross and He offered it to us all at the greatest cost.

So each time that we give we remember what He's done and honor the perfect Gift - God's one and only Son.

For God so loved the world that He gave… John 3:16

EVENING OF ELEGANCE Evening of Elegance will be held Fri-

day, December 11, 2010. There will be a reception at 6:00 pm; then the guests will proceed to the Roots of Savannah, at 7:00 pm, for an evening to remember.

There will be a formal dinner, fellow-ship, fun and musical entertainment! The guests will be entertained by the gospel and jazz sounds of Barris McWhite and Company, Florence, SC, Faith Lyn and Daniel D., both of Charleston, SC.

Tickets for this event are now avail-able for $30.00 per person; they will in-crease to $35.00 the week of the event. For tickets, please contact Tyron Jones, Barbara Willoughby or Minister Richard Moses.

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If

Given The Chance, Youth Can… Differences can be the reason why we are

sometimes afraid to step outside of our comfort zone. Teenager Grace Li, co-founder of We Care Act, recalls walking down the halls of her High School and seeing so many different personali-ties. Which ones were the ambitious, creative and the motivated? Her answer might have been, all of them.

Grace delivered a powerful speech on which we all have in common, at the Youth Service America Institute in Detroit. The audience was stunned by her fluency and complex explanations of common misunderstandings of youth! Youth have the same common goals and aspirations. However, if this is true, why aren’t all youth reaching their goals? What separates Grace from the youth who already have a record with the ju-venile detention center? What do they have in common?

The Youth Service Institute (YSI) meeting was attended by: superintendents, teachers and service-learning organization’s representatives. These individuals make it their mission to em-power youth and to show them they can truly be amazing citizens, who tackle community issues! The YSI participants became aware that Grace had many positive relationships which pushed her to become the great leader she is today! With this perspective, YSI looked at Grace and asked, if she is here now, where will she be when she is 30 or 60? A key indicator of adults’ partici-pation (in decision-making) is there level of par-ticipation in politics or the civic life of their com-munity before the age of 25.

I attended the Institute and the National Youth Council meeting for Youth Service Amer-ica. Also attending were seventeen youth who are making a lasting impact in their communities

and on the global stage! As the youngest council-man, I analyzed reports and offered my perspec-tive.

The Teen Voice Report sponsored by the Search Institute and other agencies, lists three key strengths that make a difference in a teen-ager's life: individual passions, voice and suppor-tive relationships. It is scary that only 7% of teens scored high in all three areas! Only 19% (of 15-year olds) have the meaningful relationships needed to succeed in life! Only 22% feel they have a voice! However, more than half have found a passion in life already. This tells us that teens have a desire to make a difference, but they aren’t getting the full support they need. The report also shows that minorities are more likely not to have the meaningful adult relationships needed to succeed. The Teen Voice Report suggests that adults should develop relationships with youth by: looking at us, spending time and talking with us; be dependable, listen, show ap-preciation, laugh with us (and at yourself), ask us for help and challenge us!

When young people engage in civic action and environmental stewardship in their local area, it awakens passion and commitment, from the larger community, to ensure that our commu-nities are healthy, vital and wonderful places to live!

Although Carrie Bilenker is just 17, she serves on both the National Youth Council (NYC) for YSA and as the YMCA’s Youth Governor for the State of New Jersey! She admits, that man-aging her time for her education and extra-curricular activities is not hard, because she makes sure service is a priority! Michael Minks, Director of Outreach and YSA NYC sponsors, acknowledges that youth groups always seem to “get the work done”! Personally, I can attest that the only difference between a Youth Council Meeting and a Board Meeting with adults is the candy sitting in the middle of table.

In conclusion, young people have innate creativity, passion and power! They can be the driving force for real progress in their communi-ties! To this I add Dr. Lisa Bardwell's, “'If given the chance!”

P.S.: Merry Christmas! Please consider do-n a t i n g t o G r e e n i n g F o r w a r d a t www.GreeningForward.org for Christmas. Green-ing Forward also has an online store where the proceeds benefit Greening Forward programs.

With anticipation, Charles OrgBon

GREEN LIVING With

Charles Orgbon “Trey”

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SGBC Annual Family & Friends Day Celebration

Submitted By Amelia Johnson The celebration began Friday, October 29, with a Friday night movie flick titled, “Facing the Giants.” Saturday activities included a co-ed softball game at Savannah Grove Park. The game consisted of two teams coached

by Deacon Willie Davis and Frank McFadden, with the victor of this nine inning grudge match going to the team coached by Deacon Davis.

This was a time enjoyed by the players and fans alike, who came out to support and be entertained by all of the bloopers and follies. We look forward to a follow up game at a later date.

Later Saturday evening, SGBC celebrated Hallelujah Night, sponsored by the Parents Council and Youth Ministry of SGBC. During this time the youth had the opportunity to play games, enjoy treats, and take hay rides.

Sunday morning began with an influx of members and visitors to celebrate the conclusion of Our Annual Family and Friends Day Weekend Celebration.

In the course of the celebration, Mr. Alvin Tuck conducted a wonderful workshop with the choir which began Thursday and concluded Saturday. The Workshop Choir sang Sunday morning. It was fantastic!! The songs performed were not only uplifting and inspiring, they were scriptural, powerful and foot stomping.

The church was full to capacity with members, family, friends and visitors. Pastor Canty made sure every visitor was recog-nized if they choose to be. There was a group of visitors from the country, Denmark, who were our special visitors. The Wilson High School Class of 1964 and many other visitors attended The Celebration. The service was electrifying. The text was taken from 1 Chronicles 4:9, subject title: “BREAKING THROUGH TO THE BLESSED LIFE.”

See FAMILY & FRIENDS, page 12

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Golfing... Moses and Jesus are part of a Three-

some playing golf one day. Moses pulls up to the tee and drives a long one. The ball lands on the fairway, but rolls directly toward a wa-ter trap. Quickly, Moses raises his club, the water parts, and the ball rolls to the other side, safe and sound.

Next, Jesus strolls up to the tee and hits a nice long one directly toward the same water trap. It lands right in the center of the pond and kind of hovers over the water. Je-sus casually walks out on the water and chips the ball right up onto the green.

Then, the third guy gets up and sort of ran-domly whacks the ball. It heads out over the fence and into oncoming traffic on a nearby street. It bounces off a truck and hits a nearby tree. From there, it bounces onto the roof of a shack close by and rolls down into the gutter, down the drain spout, out onto the fairway and straight toward the fore men-tioned pond.

On the way to the pond, the ball hits a little stone and bounces out over the water and onto a lily pad, where it comes quietly to rest. Suddenly, a very large bullfrog jumps on the lily pad and snatches the ball into his mouth. Just then, an eagle swoops down, grabs the frog and flies away. As they pass over the green, the frog squeals with fright

and drops the ball, which bounces right into the hole for a beautiful hole in one.

Moses leans over toward Jesus and whispers, "Do you think your Dad would teach me that shot?"

The Effingham Branch NAACP prepares for the election of officers, King’s Day at the Dome March and Rally and The 2011 “Woman Of The Year” Contest!

The general membership meeting of the Effingham Branch NAACP was held Sunday, November 21, 2010, to elect officers. The election results will be printed in the January newsletter.

The Branch is also preparing for the King’s Day At The Dome March and Rally to be held in Columbia, Monday, January 17, 2011. Persons interested in participating are asked to please contact a member of the Branch.

For “The Woman Of The Year” Contest, we invite participants from the following churches in the Branch: Elizabeth, Meadow Prong, Savannah Grove and Spring Branch Baptist Churches. The winner will represent the Branch (in May) at the State Competition in Columbia, SC. The winner of the state com-petition will represent South Carolina at the NAACP Image Award, in California. Persons who are interested may contact The Effingham Branch NAACP at: 843.665.2023 or 843.669.3233.

Stories To Warm Your Heart We are so involved in our personal, daily endeavors that we fail to realize, we are blessed beyond our imagina-

tion...We fail to realize there are many who are not as fortunate as we are. God’s blessings in our daily lives are great, but we are so busy complaining of our short comings, we can’t receive the blessing that are in store for us. Take a moment, read the inspirational messages below and Let Us Thank God For Our Blessings Today And Everyday!

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·3 3/4 cups AP Flour 3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder

·1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda ·1/2 teaspoon salt ·12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature ·2 1/4 cups granulated sugar ·3/4 cups vegetable oil ·3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon red food coloring ·1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans and line each pan with a round of parchment pa-per. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Cream the butter, sugar and oil in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla, vinegar and food coloring. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches alternating with the buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30 to

40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pans. Let cool completely before frosting. Slice each cake into 2 layers and frost. FROSTING:

·1/2 cup heavy cream ·1 cup whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped ·7 tablespoons all-purpose flour ·3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature ·1 1/2 cups superfine sugar Combine the cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Re-move the vanilla bean and discard. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, about 2 min-utes. Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and the sugar is totally dissolved, about 6 minutes. Add the cold paste, a few tablespoons at a time to the butter mixture and whip until light and fluffy.

Annual seasonal additions will be almost flat com-pared to 2009 UPS expects to hire about 50,000 temporary workers for the holiday shipping sea-son, about the same number the parcel carrier brought on last year, company officials said Fri-day. The forecast fits in with forecasts from retailers that their hiring of seasonal workers, typically a boost to employment heading into the holidays, will grow only slightly over last year. "Based on current projections, UPS anticipates that its peak season hiring will be similar to last year, with about 50,000 temporary workers added f o r t h e h o l i d a y s u r g e i n packages," UPS spokesman Tyre Sperling said. Those workers typically sort packages at UPS's air and ground stations around the United States. The company's hiring projection comes as retail-ers are forecasting modest 2.3 percent growth in holiday sales this year and many stores are pro-jecting seasonal hiring to increase only modestly from a year ago.

UPS handled just under 14.9 million packages in its domestic air and ground network in the fourth quarter a year ago, a 1.9 percent decline from the year before. Although UPS's financial returns have improved this year, domestic package vol-ume has been almost flat. To find an opportunity close to you that con-veniently fits within your schedule please click on the link below. Enter your zip code or click on the state to see all available listings. The default setting for the job search is set to "Package Handler" as that usually has the great-est number of locations hiring. https://ups.managehr.com/JobSearch.aspx?searchid=PH&hr=1&pr=1&c=&p=1,4,11,14,15,20,10,79,36,35,43,51,33,34,95&jg=06,31 If you are looking for Driver, Mechanic, or other Professional (including Business Development and IT) positions, click on the appropriate tab in the left column on the web page above. UPS is an equal opportunity employer.

UPS Hiring 50,000 Temporary Workers--Pass It On!

MAKE THIS DELICIOUS RED VELVET CAKE FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER

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ANSWERS ON PAGE 12

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~ December Birthdays ~

Alicia L. Willoughby…………(03) Annie M. Kennedy…………..(01) Beatricia Brooks……………..(15) Birdell Benjamin……………..(05) Camilla H. Moses……………(27) Chasity H. Benjamin………..(16) Christine J. Cooper………….(23) Gwendolyn M. Williams…….(16) Helen D. McFadden………...(22) Jordyn M. Davis……………..(17) Josiellia Williams…………….(12)

Levern Woods……………….(25) Marva Sellers………………..(17) Mary V. Brown……………….(27) Phyllis A. Jackson…………..(24) Ruthene H. McAllister……….31) Scottie Robinson…………….(22) Stephanie Walker……….…..(07) Tanya L. Gregg……………...(30) Theola Timmons…………….(08) Valerie D. Gillcrese………….(13) Zina Wright…………………..(25)

London J. Jordan Sr. ……….(22) Kenneth Muldrow……………(18) Michael R. Benjamin………..(05) Aquilla D. Brown…………….(05) Barbara Elom………………..(13) Leroy Middleton……………..(09) Angella Kelley……………….(25) Cheryl M. Doe……………….(30) Maxie Benjamin……………..(15) Roslynn D. Elom…………….(25) Alfoniza Luckey……………...(11)

Samuel J. Willoughby………(26) Vontella Kennedy…………...(26) James T. Williams…………..(14) Gerard D. Brown…………….(04) Rasheedah Harrison………..(17) Willa D. Benjamin Jones…...(23) Samandria T. Harkless……...(23 Alfoniza D. Luckey…………..(16) Flora Brown………………….(27) Gladys Echols……………….(11)

FAMILY & FRIENDS, continued from page 6 The service concluded with Pastor Canty allowing

the visitors and the senior citizens to exit first, so they could be serve first. He asked everyone not to get a take-out dinner, but to stay, fellowship with one another and just enjoy the day.

Some comments made by visitors: “The worship was so good; The food was delicious; The atmosphere was so friendly; I just really enjoyed myself and thanks very much for inviting me.”

There were gigantic cast iron pots, filled with the best chicken bog I’ve ever eaten, not to mention all the deli-cious bar-b-que pork and chicken, other sides to go along with them and lots of desserts. The wash pots really took me back to my childhood, growing up on the farm.

God sent us the most beautiful weather. We could not ask for better. It was an awesome day.

Can you imagine what heaven will be like when we all get together! What a time, what a time, what a time!!!

ANSWERS FOR BIBLE WORD SEARCH, PAGE 10

2620 Alligator Road Effingham, South Carolina 29541

Church 843.662-7851 - FAX 843.662.3140 E-Mail: savannahecho@sc.rr.com

THE ECHO STAFF

Daniel A. Lane, III, Editor Martha R. Miller & Iris S. Gladden

Co-Chairpersons Jo Retha L. Evans, Secretary

MEMBERS Minister Marecia Hall Marion Walker Donald Edwards Elizabeth Walker Emma B. Woods James B. Wilson Alexis Williams Dorothy Lane Judy Johnson Toni Muldrow Phyllis Jackson Amelia Johnson

Wanda Parnell